Question

A piezoresistive pressure sensor has a sensitivity of 1 (mV/V)/kPa. The sensor is excited with a dc supply of 10 V and the output is read using a 3 ½ digit 200 mV full-scale digital multimeter. The resolution of the measurement set-up, in pascal is \(\underline{\hspace{2cm}}\).

Hint:

The resolution of a piezoresistive sensor is calculated by dividing the full-scale output of the multimeter by the full-scale measurement and then converting it to the pressure units.

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 10

The resolution of the measurement setup is the smallest change in pressure that can be detected by the sensor. Given the sensitivity and the full-scale output of the multimeter, we can calculate the resolution: \[ \text{Resolution} = \frac{\text{Full Scale Output}}{\text{Full Scale Measurement}} = \frac{200 \, \text{mV}}{10 \, \text{V}} \times 1000 \, \text{Pa}. \] Thus, the resolution is: \[ \text{Resolution} = 20 \, \text{Pa}. \] Therefore, the resolution of the measurement set-up in pascal is \( 20 \, \text{Pa} \).